Sunday, April 4, 2010

Chocolate Layered Dessert--the Original Mississippi Mud Pie

I made one of my most favorite desserts for Sunday's holiday dinner. I just call it Chocolate Layered Dessert, but I've also seen it called Chocolate Yum-Yum and Mississippi Mud Pie.

Like most of my favorite recipes, this one is simple to make; and although the crust is baked for a few minutes, it's a a good one for hot weather because it requires little actual cooking and makes for a cool and delicious ending to any meal, holiday or not.

Ingredients:Crust

1/2 stick butter, softened

1/2 c flour

1 t sugar (optional)

1/3 c chopped pecans

Cut the flour and sugar into the softened butter, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in chopped nuts, and press into the bottom of an 8 x 8 oven proof dish. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until the crust is set and lightly browned. Cool completely

Layer one:

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 c powdered sugar

1 c cool whip or whipped cream

1 t vanilla

Mix everything together and spread on the cooled crust.

Layer two:

1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 1/2 c cold milk

Whisk together milk and pudding mix, then pour over the cream cheese layer

Refrigerate until set.

Layer three:

At this point, I usually add an additional layer of cool whip or whipped cream. Occasionally, as I did this time, I add the topping to each individual serving. Sometimes I add a few chocolate shavings on top, or few finely chopped nuts, just to look pretty.

Variations:

Although most people these days make this with chocolate, when this recipe first made the rounds years ago, it was also made with vanilla, lemon, or butterscotch pudding.

Instead of pudding, you can also use fruit pie filling--it's especially good with cherry or blueberry.

Visiting from Cole's blog. This is my hubby's favorite dessert. We call it Chocolate Delight in my neck of the woods but its the same recipe. I like to make it with the pecan crust but also with a graham cracker crust just for a little variation sometimes.

Yours definitey looks yummy. I think it has inspired me to make hubby a little treat this weekend. :)

My Momma got this recipe from my Kindergarten Mother's Club back in 1979 (ok, yes, I'm telling my age) and we call it Chocolate Nut Dessert...so good, but I haven't had it in ages! Thanks for the reminder!